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What a year! Since January, my colleagues and I have traveled more than 5,000 miles within the state to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Humanities Texas, holding events in Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, Edinburg, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, Midland, and San Antonio.

At each location, we invited everyone associated with the organization over the years: directors of local libraries and museums, leaders of area colleges and universities, elected officials, grantees, exhibition renters, donors, winners of our Outstanding Teaching Awards, scholars who have served as faculty in our programs, and many more. Reconnecting with old friends was a delight. We also made new connections, using the receptions as opportunities to reintroduce our mission and work to the community.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary has been a truly inspiring experience. At each stop in our travels, we learned about the remarkable work of our friends and institutional partners. Time and again, we saw that the humanities are alive in every corner of the state. To be sure, we live in times of political and ideological polarization, and our educational and cultural institutions face profound challenges. However, the affinity for history, literature, and culture remains strong and deeply felt, and represents a vital resource for the future.

Anniversaries are also a time of reflection. This year, we have dug through our archives, sifted through old documents and photos, and reviewed the organization's work and impact over the years.

I loved uncovering the grant application the organization submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1973 for funding that would support opening the council office and conducting its first year of programming.

The application begins with the following brief paragraph: "It has been said that Texas is not a state but rather a state of mind. One might better say states of mind, for Texas exhibits an almost overwhelming diversity in geography, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and political and socioeconomic structure."

Texas's size and remarkable diversity remain key conditions of our work. We're a small nonprofit, and Texas is vast. Over five decades, our organization's programs have evolved as the state has grown and changed, but our core mission has remained the same: to promote opportunities for lifelong learning in the humanities for all Texans, and to do so in ways that are shaped by local guidance and are responsive to local interests and needs.

Moving ahead, we will continue to pursue this mission through a diverse set of programs.

Teacher Professional Development

We will continue to be especially active in primary and secondary education. Our teacher workshops in history, government, and language arts have improved the quality of classroom teaching throughout the state for nearly twenty years. Over 7,100 Texas teachers representing more than half of the state's school districts have participated in these programs. We look forward to serving even more Texas teachers in the coming years.

Outstanding Teaching Awards

Our Outstanding Teaching Awards have emerged as the most prestigious statewide awards in K–12 humanities instruction. Since 1990, we have recognized 385 teachers in 126 Texas communities. We will continue presenting these awards annually, using them to promote and celebrate the remarkable service Texas teachers provide to the state.

Grants

Our grants will continue to provide critical support to local museums, libraries, and cultural institutions. Since 1973, we have awarded more than 4,700 grants in 390 Texas communities for lectures, conferences, teacher workshops, exhibitions, reading programs, and documentary films. During the pandemic, we awarded more than $3.4 million in relief funding to the state's cultural and educational organizations, placing special emphasis on serving small organizations and rural communities. 

Traveling Exhibitions

Our traveling exhibitions will continue to meet the needs of venues across Texas, from traditional art and history museums to schools, libraries, and community centers. These exhibitions have been displayed more than 3,000 times at venues throughout the state and nation. We look forward to adding new titles to our inventory in 2024.

Texas Originals

In 2024, we will launch the third season of Texas Originals, our radio series about inspiring individuals who have had a profound influence on Texas history and culture. We will also distribute Spanish-language recordings of all 155 episodes produced to date.

Lifelong Learning

We will continue to organize public lectures, film screenings, and other humanities events in collaboration with partner organizations throughout the state. We are also transforming the way we administer two of our newest programs—Texas Storytime and Veterans' Voices—so that local organizations can hold these programs in their own communities with support and training from our staff.

Since the early 1970s, Humanities Texas and our fellow state councils have worked to promote and expand Americans' innate interest in the humanities, since the wisdom and vision afforded by the humanities are essential to our democracy.

Thank you for joining us in our work, which has never been more important. I hope that you will help us continue promoting history, culture, and education in communities statewide.

We look forward to seeing you in 2024 at one of our programs around the state or here at the Byrne-Reed House. In the meantime, I wish you a peaceful and restorative holiday and happy new year.

Eric Lupfer